Two pieces of metal, such as copper wires, can be mechanically and electrically connected using soldering, a process in which metallic items are joined together by introducing a filler metal (solder) with a lower melting point. Soldering and related processes (e.g., brazing) are very useful in many areas, from microelectronics to plumbing. At the same time there are no established methods for joining semiconductor pieces under mild conditions without disrupting semiconducting properties at the joint. In other words, there is no “semiconductor solder” for technologically important inorganic semiconductors.